Better Marketing Starts with Knowing Your Audience

A few months ago, a prospective client approached me looking for help creating a comprehensive but actionable marketing plan to attract new customers and increase membership. When I asked who they most wanted to bring in as members, the response was simple: “I just want to get as many people in the door.” This is both an understandable goal and response, especially for a small business working with limited time and resources. But targeting every adult in the Fox Cities would likely mean inefficiently spending time, money, and resources to reach a lot of people who have little interest in becoming members. The messages would also need to be so broad that they likely would not resonate with or motivate anyone. It got me thinking to a saying an old boss of mine once said. In a riff off President Clinton's famous 1992 campaign slogan, he boiled it down simply: “It’s the customer, stupid!” (Seriously, this is the title of his book.) What this meant was that the start of any smart marketing strategy begins by really understanding the core foundation. And that is your target audience.

What Is a Target Audience?

A target audience is a specific group of people who are most likely to need, value, or support what your business or organization offers. Depending on your goals, you may have more than one. A nonprofit might need to reach the people who use its services as well as donors, volunteers and community partners. A small business may want to attract new customers while building loyalty among those it already serves. Defining these audiences does not mean excluding everyone else. It means focusing your efforts and budget on the people most likely to take the action you want them to take.

Moving Beyond Assumptions

Identifying a target audience involves more than choosing a broad age range or geographic area. You need to understand the attributes and behaviors that connect people to your organization. What needs are they trying to meet? What motivates them? What concerns might keep them from acting? Where do they look for information, and who influences their decisions? It might be simpler to assume, but answering these key questions will make your marketing so much more effective. And, you probably already have most of this information at your fingertips.

Start with what you already know from your current customers records and conversations you've had with the people you've served. Look at the data from places like your website's analytics, social media insights, or the results of past campaigns to further inform you on who your target audiences are. If possible, primary and secondary research, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, and publicly available demographic or community data, can help fill in the gaps. The goal is not to make assumptions about your audience. It is to build a clearer picture based on real information.

Put What You Learn to Work

A solid understanding of your target audience can shape who you market to ... and where and how to reach them. This is called segmentation and it can make your marketing more efficient. A busy parent comparing after-school activities may need clear information about schedules or cost and convenience. A prospective donor may be more interested in community impact and how their contribution will be used. One audience might respond to Facebook posts and email, while another is more likely to find you through Google, a community partner or an in-person event. When your message, content, and outreach reflect how your audience actually thinks and behaves, your marketing becomes more relevant. It also becomes more efficient because you are investing your resources in the strategies and tactics most likely to produce results.

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If your marketing has largely consisted of individual emails, social posts, flyers or ads without a broader strategy behind them, defining your target audiences is one of the best places to start. We can help you identify and better understand the people who matter most to your organization, and then turn those insights into a focused, practical marketing approach. Reach out and let's have a discussion.

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